A Civic Holiday Excursion

    In Ontario, the first Monday in August is a provincial holiday referred to as "Civic Holiday" although it's called by different names in different areas of the province. It's not a federally mandated holiday so a number of stores are open, some with reduced hours. I think it's an excuse to have one more three-day holiday in the summer and I do like it.

    This past Monday was Civic Holiday in the London-St. Thomas area, and my friends, Andy and Barb invited Beth and I to come to their house in London to have a game on the back deck and a cookout. Another friend, Ralph, was invited as well. So off we went just before mid-day, bringing 7-Up, chips, and two kinds of dip to the party. Andy and Barb grilled sausages outside and also brought out the sauerkraut and potato salad with ice cream for dessert. We all thoroughly enjoyed the day.

    The game was of the War of Spanish Succession using Warfare in the Age of Reason rules and the Age of Marlborough supplement to those rules. Ralph ran the French/Bavarian/Allied side and I took the role of the commander of the Russian troops. I had a redoubt and I stayed in it until Ralph assaulted it and broke in once one of my cannon was lost.

(All photographs courtesy of Andy, and my wife, Beth.)

Such a nice day!

A good overview of the table, the figures, the players, and the wreckage of chips 'n' dip.

Ralph converses politely as the game heats up.

Your Humble Blogger attempts politeness
while watching the Franco-Bavarian hordes descend on Mother Russia

The figures are Wargames Factory WSS troops (not easy to find now since Wargame Factory was absorbed by another firm), all painted by Andy (save one unit). None of them had been on the table before so the "New Unit Curse" applied to all!

The red-coated troops are the Bavarian Leibgarde, the blue coats are the Bavarians,
while the grey coats are French (no matter where they were recruited.)

A fine looking force, I'd say.

I moved up my troops on either flank but left the troops in the redoubt where they stood.
One of the units there was the Preobrazhensky Guard Regiment.

The right flank has to clamber over a hedge. No big deal; it just slowed them down.

The starting position for almost all the Russians.
Were we going to stay in the redoubt? Count on it!

The Franco-Bavarian army continues it's advance. Had the table been a bit wider, it would've
been easier to deploy cavalry. Ralph's artillery also had to scuffle along.
(Medium guns moving like heavy cannon)

I had to pull a brigade "right face" with the cavalry brigade. The horse grenadiers (in green),
being a higher morale class, moved easier than the dragoons.

Lots of mind-blowing Bavarian flags and lots of Cerulean Blue

My cannon caused some casualties to Ralph's troops during his advance, but artillery is not all that powerful when it's spread out all over the board in the manner appropriate to the period. Musket range is very close so we both held our fire. The rule of thumb is "If you measure, you've fired" and that's a good way to waste your extra die for "first fire."

The only unit on the table that Andy didn't paint.
I did the Bavarian cuirassiers up for him a few years ago
and now they finally saw the field.

The Franco-Bavarians reached the redoubt with some losses and some morale issues but
they came over it where my cannon had be run off on the far left of the redoubt.
My left wing collapsed due to morale and that was the game.
It was also supper time.

Here you can see the French coming over the redoubt face.
The Bavarian Leibgarde were holding their own as tough grenadiers.
(The yellow things are plastic straws cut up by Andy for casualty caps.)

More of an overview of things as Ralph's troops emerge victorious... but not without some trouble!
None of our cavalry got into the fray. There was only so much room on the table.

Over dinner the discussion turned to science-fiction movies and TV shows, music, and such, as well as the taste of the sausages, sauerkraut, potato salad, and beer/cider. It was a great time with good friends, good food, and good conversation.

Maybe this is how I'd want summer to be.

One last view of the Russian right wing coming forward.

I'm still not Frederick

This past Saturday, a reduced contingent of the Hamilton Road Gaming Group used Black Powder yet again to play a Seven Years War game. Bear had to be elsewhere. This time Andy fielded his Prussians with the assistance of Martin as his left flank commander. Kevin and I rolled out the Russians. (Three brigades of line musketeers, one of grenadiers with one musketeer regiment, a heavy cavalry brigade of cuirassiers, dragoons, and horse grenadiers, and a light cavalry brigade of hussars and Cossacks. Add to that 5 cannon and one howitzer.) This always makes for an interesting game, although Kevin's dice were exceptionally cold. Mine were moderately warm up until the end, when they turned frosty.

Kevin's brigades in column. That way they could move even if their generals failed command.
The rules require the Russians to have at least one "idiot general".
I couldn't saddle Kevin with such a numb-skull so I took him.

Martin and Andy deployed their Prussians in line because the entire infantry is "superbly drilled" and will make at least one move even if their command fails. No idiot generals on the board for the Prussians!

Andy's wing with the heavy cavalry and a horse gun.

My wing of the Tsar's Finest after a turn or two.

Kevin and I got the initiative and stepped off quickly. We were all pretty far away from each other and, as I should've guessed, the Prussians didn't advance very far, waiting for the Russians to advance into the teeth of their musketry. We did our best to keep our solid line intact, but the Berliners wouldn't come out to play. Kevin tried an end run with his hussars and Cossacks which Martin met with his hussars. Kevin came out the poorer on that account. I tried to bring my cuirassiers around the left flank forest but they stalled out after Andy disorganised the lead regiment with artillery fire. The dragoons/horse grenadiers refused order for a brief time but came forward after a bit to guard the left flank of my one infantry brigade.

Three regiments of Russian cuirassiers. A real general could do a lot with them!

Our over-all commander, his flag bearer, and Cossack aide.
I believe I'm going to try to put all my commanders on round bases; It makes them distinctive and easy to spot on the table.

My grenadiers in column. They were originally based for Koenigkrieg - three bases of 4 per battalion, so for Black Powder, I simply strap two battalions together - which leads to a multiplication of flags. I don't mind that since it adds to the colourful look of the table for both SYW, Napoleonics, and ACW.

Our brave and dire opponents, the Prussians.

Martin adjusts one of his regiments. These figures are just SO colourful and pleasing to the eye.

Kevin's infantry battalion. Note the Cossack cannon crew on the far left and the Pandour regiment in line next to them.

A close-up of one of my lines. I'm still proud of my flags.

Andy broke a grenadier unit into skirmish order to move through a forested area. We've found some basis for this in the rules and we permit it when an infantry or dismounted cavalry unit moves into a wooded area, but only when moving through the wooded area. They can't do this in open country.

The Russian "Death Chicken" flags advance toward the Prussians and their Black Eagle flags.

Well, things didn't go so well for Kevin and I after that. My cuirassiers finally rounded the forest and took on Andy's kurassiers and dragoons. One of my regiments fell back as did one of Andy's to the flank attack was not a success. The Prussian infantry began to advance slowly, with both the Russians and the Prussians losing a regiment each to artillery and musketry. The Prussian hussars were both shaken which didn't permit them to do much of anything. The Russian hussars and Cossacks had broken and left the table. It was getting on to closing time at the library so we "extrapolated" the ending, the Prussians giving the Russians the "Golden Highway" to retreat to Brest-Litovsk.

I again forgot my resolution to use the oblique order with my SYW army. Looking back with 20-20 hindsight, I should've guessed that Martin and Andy would play the "waiting game" until something cracked. Ah, well.

Andy's flank force of kurassiers and dragoons.

My Russian cuirassiers round the spur of the forest.

Martin and Kevin's light cavalry mix it up on the far right flank.

 

Martin's hussars came out on top and sent the Russians packing.

An impressive array of Russian infantry.

Patton's Dream

At long last, the weather permitted me to get to the Saturday games group. Rob decided to spend the day with friends so I was on my own. I joined Andy, Kevin, and Martin for a game we'd been planning for a long time. Derek and Bear joined us for a while until they realised that they had a previous engagement with Battletech at another table.
The scenario was one for an alternate 1948 where the Soviets faced NATO including the remnants of Nazi Germany, the US, Canada, France, and Great Britain. It was really an excuse for Martin to get out his Panzer-Disney toys - the stuff on the drawing board and the proving ground that never made it into production. The West was heavily outnumbered but was dug in - sort of. There were also two twists in the plot. First, a convoy of vehicles carrying special scientific equipment had to get through, although the two vehicles containing the graduate students were expendable. Second, a group of jeeps and a civilian car carrying General "Buck" Turgedson's mistress needed to get off the board. The scenario allowed for certain things to happen once those groups got off the board. We were using Iron Ivan's "Disposable Heroes" rules with no infantry and ignoring the "target acquisition" rule for expediency.
The Soviets attacked with T-10s, JS-IIIs, KV-5s, T-44s, T-54s, and an incredible amout of T-34/85s. Defending were German tanks like the Maus, the E-100 with twin squeeze-bore 88s, and a bunch of Jagdpanzers from the drawing boards, all with huge cannon. The US was represented by 2 M35 Taylor heavy tanks and 2 M106 heavy tanks. The French contributed 2 AMX-13s, and the Canadians entered later with Centurion Vs and IIIs.

Andy and Derek set up the Soviets while take "the pause that refreshes."

Some of Martin's German stuff - A Löwe, the E-100, and the Maus

The American M103s and M35s. The French AMX-13s are just on the edge of the photo.

Paper houses - inexpensive and always worthwhile!

From later in the game - Kevin's Cossack charge of the T-34's

I decided to key on getting the special stuff off the board. The mistress caravan of 4 jeeps and a Mercedes-Benz limo moved very quickly and got off the board triggering the arrival of 2 A20 attack bombers, which did a little damage. The slower scientific convoy had to make way for them and for the arrival of the Royal Canadian Dragoons and their Centurions later on.

The scientific convoy of two half-tracks crammed with grad students and a Raupenschlepper Ost full of science stuff.
(A favoured quote from MST3K - "Turn up the Flash Gordon noise and bring in more science stuff!")

The mistress convoy at high speed.

Eek! KV-5's!

JS-IIIs disguised as JS-II's (Models I traded to Andy for something, I don't remember what.)

Since my tanks were dug in, I didn't take many casualties early in the game. Since my dice rolling was absolutely wretched, I didn't deal many casualties either. It was truly sad. If I hadn't been in a "hull-down" position, I'd have been cut to ribbons early on. With all the 120mm, 86mm, 88mm, and 100mm guns firing, it could have been messy. When the Centurions arrived with their 20 pounders... well, it didn't help.

JS-IIIs... I thought these were great models.

The Tiger III and the Löwe brew up.

The scientific convoy make way for the Canadian Centurions. The lead tank is a Centurion V but Martin had to use a German Leopard II model. The others are Centurion IIIs.

The Maus brewed up real good!

An overview of the board late in the game.  The T-34s are approaching into knife fight range. My tank destroyers are being destroyed - light armour, heavy gun, you know the tune. The E-100 couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. The AMXs proved more valuable than I expected, even if they were armoured with tin foil.

In the end, I got the two convoys off the board, but I lost the town. Kevin got some T-34s into the town and my inability to hit anything made the outcome a given. Even the minefields were ineffective. No use whining; it was a fun game none-the-less.

Urrah! Urrah! Urrah! De Cossaquibus!
Kevin's horde roars in as more wait to enter.

JS-IIIs negotiate the small woods and the little wall. That a T-10 burning on the far left. I discovered later that the T-10 was to be called the JS-IV, but Stalin died and fell out of favour, so the designation had to be changed,

Geez-Louize! Dere are a lot o' dem tanks out dere, heyna?

Martin's Centurions - I was impressed and still am. I like the Leopard too, but I've always liked the Leopard.

Kevin drives his tanks "into my eyes." The tactic worked. The two closest tanks passed the US heavies shortly after this was taken. The German "Emil" tank destroyers have taken it on the chin, as you can see.

Later that evening, I relaxed in the family room with my rat-pulettes - my daughter's rats.
Spryte in white and Gizmo in black watched some TV with me and peed on my sweater which my wife interpreted to mean they like me so much, they've claimed me as their own. (I think they were just full of pee.)